Building champions
This is a story from Disability Now- go to www.disabilitynow.org.uk to find out more.
Britain's jubilance following the winning 2012 Olympic bid has been superseded by calls from disability sports organisations for resources to help develop the next generation of Paralympians. Priya Kotecha reports
The quest is on to find the next generation of British Paralympians who will light up the capital when the Paralympic and Olympic Games come to London in 2012. Since the city was announced as the host city in July, attention has centred on how to build infrastructure, venues and accommodation. But British sporting performances will be important too, and, as team GB promise to deliver the most inclusive games ever, Paralympian performances will have considerable influence over how the games are judged.
Established wheelchair athlete Sarah Loughran, 20, says the focus should be on the athletes: "I think it's important that we put on a great games, but it's more important to get the athletes there. There's no point having the best stadium, if you haven't got the best team you can have."
Paralympic sport needs extra resources, she adds. "We need more facilities, more tracks, more development at grassroots level and a lot more coaches."
Funding is also vital. "It's so difficult to break into disability sport because, for example, wheelchairs cost £2,000 to £3,000," she says. "It's not like getting a pair of trainers." Angus Robertson, chief executive of the London Sports Forum, says once the funding is in place, new facilities need to be built quickly. "Structures need to be there at grassroots level. We have to make sure that, as young talented people are spotted, they are getting picked up."
After London was announced as the 2012 host, the government pledged a further £1 million to the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), aimed at supporting athletes with medal winning potential. But the proportion of disabled athletes who will receive a share remains to be seen; from the past year's £3 million grant, only 20 of the 1,000 recipients were disabled.
While schemes such as TASS help youngsters who have proven sporting ability, Paul Moseley, co-ordinator of Gifted and Talented Disability Sport at the English Federation for Disability Sport, says more resources should be put into programmes that "help spot and nurture the sporting talent of disabled youngsters in school and further this through community sport".
The Gifted and Talented scheme is a joint venture between the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It forms part of the PE school sport and club links strategy and disabled sport was integrated within the scheme a year after its 2002 launch.
Mr Moseley says: "We need to get more schools involved in the scheme and more guidance given to schools, with those that are doing it well leading by example." July saw the launch of a new lottery scratch card, Go for Gold, which is expected to raise £750 million for the Olympic Games by 2012. With the total budget for hosting the games set at £2,375 billion, questions will be asked about how much of this money will be spent on the development of athletes, including those who are disabled.
A spokeswoman for London 2012 says: "It has not yet been decided how this money will be spent, but UK Sport and Sport England will no doubt be involved in deciding this." The British Paralympic Association (BPA) has received a grant of £2 million over the next three years to ensure development of athletes for the next Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008, but funding for London remains undecided.
Mike Brace, chairman of the BPA, says: "Everything is still fairly embryonic at this stage. We understand we will be getting a percentage of funding, but how much remains undecided and they are still debating the overall amount." Lindsey Bridgeman, athletics development officer at the Federation for Disability Sport Wales, remains optimistic about Britain's chances of success at 2012. Responsible for training 35 youngsters, aged between nine and 17, she says: "Every one of these children will be part of 2012 in some form or another."
She adds: "Five years ago Wales had 510 seniors and no young athletes. Now, by the time 2012 comes around, there will be a lot of talent to choose from."
At a recent training session visited by Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, the veteran Paralympian helped train 14-year-old wheelchair athlete Louise Hunt. Afterwards she said: "With London set to host the Paralympic Games in 2012, it is vital that we continue to encourage and engage more children in sport.
"It is not just about nurturing talent. The knock-on benefits of sport are far- reaching for all who participate, particularly for those in wheelchairs. Making new friends, becoming more self-confident and fit and healthy are all by-products of getting involved in sport."
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